A/N: Hi, guys! Well, I'm not gone! Just super busy! Hopefully you enjoy this chapter, though. Thanks for all the feedback!

Disclaimer: I only own my original characters.

The sun shone bright and hot over the vast, grassy plains. Rocky cliffs stood in the distance, their caves opening like eyes, big and wide, as if the landscape itself was watching us. Something that appeared to be a humongous, metal creature stood against the sky. Even from far away, that mechanical monster made me shudder. But, as menacing as he seemed, he was nothing compared to my opponents, who were much closer.

A gust of wind rushed by as Link emerged from a mini tornado, his blue eyes radiating the courage he was well-known for. Pit descended in a beam of golden light, a cocky smile playing at his mouth. Bowser erupted onto the scene in a whoosh of orange fire, and the sneer on his face said he was ready to end more than just the match.

If I played my cards right, victory would be mine, along with a handful of tournament points. Any mistake on my part, however, would cost me. Yep, just a regular Smash battle.

One minute, the plains were calm. The next, we charged like rhinos, hitting anyone and everyone in sight. Adrenaline heightened my senses, alerting me to my opponents' movements, no matter how quick.

"Hyaa!" Link lunged forward, his sword slashing through the air two inches from my arm. I had sidestepped his blade, but before I could counter, Link pulled out a bomb and held it high as if ready to throw.

Better to avoid that for now. I jumped away and dashed towards Pit, who had split his bow into dual swords and swung at Bowser.

"Bring it on, angel boy!" Bowser taunted, shielding against the better part of Pit's attack.

"With pleasure!" Pit slammed into the giant turtle, delivering an uppercut that launched him skyward.

"Break it up, you two!" I shouted, shooting a cascade of white energy blasts. That is until Link's bomb exploded on all of us.

Chaos and pandemonium erupted around us as we traded blows. Link and Pit were nothing more than green and white blurs clashing swords. Bowser was slower, which would prove to be his downfall, as long as I kept my distance.

Since this was a stock battle, I had to make each point count while avoiding the blast zone. My gaze flicked skyward, hoping to catch a glimpse of help from above.

"Items won't save you!"

I gasped through clenched teeth as Bowser delivered a crushing blow powerful enough to crack cement. A sneak attack!

"Ugh! No fair!" I cried, twisting in the air and landing a few feet away.

Bowser smirked. "All's fair in love and Smash!" He tried to grab me, but I dashed out of his reach.

"Tell that to Master Hand!" I retorted.

Bowser cringed as my fire blast struck him in the chest. He lunged at me, but I rolled behind him and gathered my magic. I was about to shoot a few energy blasts, when he spoke. "Too bad that overgrown hand doesn't know what's about to happen."

My arm froze mid-swing. "What's about to happen?" I repeated. So I hadn't imagined the gleam in his eyes. Bowser was hiding something.

Bowser charged forward to grab me, and would have succeeded if it weren't for Pit's arrow. The Koopa king winced in pain as the streak of blue light pierced his shoulder.

"Not exactly what I was aiming for!" Pit grinned at me, then took an archer's stance to shoot again.

Oh, no. He wouldn't get me that easily. Just as Pit fired his arrow, I conjured a bubble of silver energy around me. The angel's light projectile bounced off my barrier, hitting him in the chest.

"Never seen that trick before…" the angel muttered.

That was because in my previous battles, I had never needed it. But, when all three of my opponents used projectiles, the reflector proved quite useful. It felt good to have a trick up my sleeve, if only to see the face of the unsuspecting fighter who had fallen for it.

Unfortunately, I wasn't the only one with life-saving tricks. On the other side of the field, Link held a glass trophy high above his head. The trophy shattered, and one bright flash of light later, a woman's voice carried across the field.

"Prepare yourself!"

A cry of alarm escaped my throat at the appearance of the nomadic swordswoman, her blade in hand and a deadly gleam in her eyes. Lyn looked at home on the plains, and I didn't want to find myself on the receiving end of her Mani Katti.

Pit and Bowser were too busy fighting to notice right away, and when Lyn swung her blade, neither could avoid it in time.

Bowser was almost sent to the blast zone, but Pit hadn't been launched far at all. With a few beats of his white wings, the warrior landed on the field again, panting hard and gripping his bow. He would have charged at Link, if it hadn't been for Bowser's fire blast from behind.

"Oh, that is IT!" Pit screamed, not too thrilled with the idea of being barbecued. He turned towards Bowser and charged.

Since those two were fighting each other, I ran towards Link, who was the bigger threat.

The Hylian threw his boomerang, but I conjured my silver barrier, which deflected the flying projectile. Link grunted as it struck him in the side of the head, pushing him off the arena.

Grinning, I shot a blast of fire at the ledge to prevent him from recovering, but, he latched onto the edge with his Hookshot and pulled himself up.

The sky grew darker and the air got colder as the sun sank below the cliffs. Flames and explosions disoriented me as my eyes adjusted to the lack of light. Since it was more difficult to see now, I'd have to rely on my other senses to win this fight, assuming I didn't get knocked out in the process.

"Ha!" Pit cried as he slashed at me from behind. Then, almost faster than I could blink, he followed it up with an aerial strike, spinning his blades like propellers.

Before I could escape, Pit shot a light arrow with impressive precision, hitting me even closer to the blast zone.

My heart hammered in my chest and a gulp of air caught in my throat as I twisted and flailed to stop my flight. Please don't let me be the first one KO'd.

My speed slowed mere feet from the blast zone, and I exhaled in a moment's relief.

As I plummeted back down to the field, something round and black fell past me. Realizing what it was, I dove through the air and caught it before it could explode.

Seconds later, a blur of white jumped up to meet me, his swords cutting the air.

"No you don't!" I chucked the Bomb-omb downward, and it exploded, taking Pit with it. This time, however, he flew out of bounds, claimed by the blast zone.

That was one point for me!

Almost laughing with pleasure, I flipped through the air and landed on safe ground, or so I thought.

Bowser, who had dashed closer while I was in the air, took a great breath and spewed a stream of flames.

The heat was so intense, almost as hot as the surface of the sun. I deflected the brunt of his attack, but the first few flames had inflicted some serious damage.

To my right, Link swung his sword, but, though my mind was flustered, my body was on high alert, and I ducked beneath his steel and blasted him with fire.

My attack was a little weak, but it was enough to launch him pretty far.

"Hey! That's my knock-out!" A newly recovered Pit tore across the field, knocking a helpless Link higher into the night sky. The angel landed, and leapt up to finish the job, his sword glinting in the light of the full moon.

The stomping behind me alerted me to Bowser's advance, but before he could strike, I countered with a grab. With a mighty heave, I tossed the massive turtle in the air. "That's for earlier!"

Crack! Crack! Crack!

An orb of light streaked across my vision with Link in pursuit. Wait! That wasn't moonlight that reflected off of Pit's blade! That was the Smash Ball! I had to break that thing! If I wanted to win this match, I had to!

However, as the fighting continued around me, thoughts piled up in my mind, weighing me down, the same ones that had haunted me previously

"There's no problem," I told myself, sprinting towards the floating orb. Everyone in this battle already knew what I was capable of. And besides, if I didn't break the Smash Ball, someone else would.

Straining with concentration, I tried for a leap, but it was as if my bones turned to ice. My joints locked up and my legs refused to jump. Then the chills came, and I knew something was wrong.

Aside from our battle, the dark plains were completely still, and yet, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. Some malevolent force was watching, an otherworldly power that was unfamiliar to me. But, I couldn't stop the fight to investigate.

Glancing up, I caught sight of the Smash Ball, which now hovered high above the far side of the arena. Bowser, who had just chomped down on a Maximum Tomato, lunged for the glowing orb. Pit darted after Link, bent on scoring a point.

When my body finally decided to move, the Smash Ball had already shattered under the force of Link's blade, and I ran right towards him, only realizing once it was too late. Pit stopped in his tracks, but he was way to close. We both were.

The Hylian landed and unleashed his newly acquired power. A beam of light shot from his hand, and Pit and I were trapped within the golden Triforce. Everything faded around me, drowned out by the light of the three glowing triangles. Then Link started slashing, and I knew I was done for.

I cringed as Link dealt blow after blow with the Master Sword. Link pulled back his arm for the final strike. Pit managed to free himself from the triangular prison, but I wasn't so lucky.

"Hyaa!" The Triforce shattered before the Master Sword, and Link launched me into the blast zone in a shower of gold light.

When I returned to the field, dawn had begun to break and the sun rose over the cliffs, warming the plains with its light.

"Time flies, doesn't it?" Pit asked, aiming another light arrow.

"…Time's not the only thing," I said as Bowser spun Link on his shell and hurled him away.

The angel smirked and shot the light projectile, but I donned my silver reflector and bounced it back to Pit,

"Nice try!" In a flash, Pit's mirror shield rebounded his arrow back to me.

With a cry of alarm, I sidestepped the light projectile and it hit Bowser instead.

"HEY!" the Koopa King roared with anger as he flew backward. He was the only one out of all of us who still had two lives, but that would soon change. His damage was so high now, despite his earlier healing, and surely Pit's arrow would render him powerless to recover.

The Koopa fell below the ledge, but then rose up like a rocket and clawed his way back onto the stone battleground.

"Are you serious?" I asked in disbelief, glimpsing the Rocket Belt around Bowser's waist.

The Koopa king stood on the arena's edge and laughed, his red eyes glinting with mockery. He was just asking for a knock-out.

Fuming, I clenched my fists and charged forward to deliver, when a metal chain hooked around my waist and jerked me backwards.

"Link?" I screamed, struggling to break his hold.

Pit, who had grabbed a Back Shield, ran forward to claim what would have been my point. Little did he know that he was running right into Bowser's waiting arms.

Pit swung his twin blades, but before he could land the hit, Bowser grabbed him.

"Aahh! What?" Pit yelped, his eyes wide with shock. The bronze shield wouldn't help him in this situation.

The Koopa smirked, jumped in the air, and backflipped off the ledge with Pit kicking and flailing in his arms.

I struggled against Link's Hookshot, but he held fast and turned me to face him, just as Pit and Bowser fell into the blast zone.

Link's eyes widened, as if he had seen something strange. His grip on my arm loosened, and I wrenched free from his grasp.

Before he could counter, I shot a few energy blasts, knocking him into the dirt.

Link stood and shook his head as if to clear it. Then, he hefted the Master Sword and charged towards me. I shielded against his blade, wondering what was bothering him.

Above me, Bowser leapt from the recovery platform, his twisted grin now spread from ear to ear. He sure looked pleased about something. Sure, he had eliminated Pit from the match, but he had cost himself a life as well. I didn't understand what the big accomplishment was.

The three of us exchanged blows with new desperation as the skies darkened once again. Even though we had one less player now, chaos reigned as the battle exploded around us.

I had just rolled away from one of Link's bombs when five hundred pounds of Koopa came crashing down from above.

"Aahh!" I screamed as Bowser's weight crushed me. The sheer force of his attack sent me flying, and before I knew it, the recovery beam caught me and transported me away from the plains. Just like that, I was out!

"Ugh! Third?" I complained. It was bad enough that I didn't get very many points, but losing to one of my enemies just made it that much worse.

I glared at the screen that displayed the remainder of the match, silently willing Link to triumph over Bowser. I felt Pit's presence to my right, and wondered if he was hoping Link would win, too. After all, Link was one of the fighters Pit idolized, and therefore most wanted to take down, and seeing his hero take revenge on the one who beat him was probably the next best thing.

With a final horizontal spinning slash, Link knocked Bowser out of the area, and both appeared in the room with us. Link slashed his blade in front of him, then held it high with a triumphant battle cry. Beside me, Bowser scowled and clapped for the winner, but something was missing.

Before I could put my finger on it as to what it was, the blue portal appeared, and we transported back to the mansion.

"I can't believe Bowser beat me!" I muttered to Link.

Bowser, who apparently had heard me, smirked. "Well believe it, because it happened!" he said smugly, and pushed past us into the hallway.

"Well, he was in a hurry to leave," I said.

Link nodded in agreement and sheathed his sword.

"So, what is it you wanted to talk to me about?"

The Hylian winced as if he had been burned. Maybe I should have waited before asking…?

Link looked around the room, as if the words he needed were floating in midair. Then, his brow furrowed and he gazed off into space, the dim glow of the portal reflected in his eyes.

The only sound heard was the faint hum of energy, and the silence alerted me to what was wrong.

"Where's Pit?" Link asked, taking the words right out of my mouth.

Confused, I glanced around the room, but Link and I were the only two there. "…Maybe he ran out ahead?" I suggested.

"Hm, maybe…" Link said, but his expression was troubled. He was about to say more when a few pairs of footsteps carried down the hall. We wouldn't have the transport room much longer.

Link leaned closer. "Can't talk now. One of us'll come get you when it's time," he whispered, and hurried out of the room.

I shuffled out into the hallway, puzzling over Link's strange behavior. What did he want to tell me? And why was he being so secretive? The power light in my heart seemed to dim with anxiety, as if it was protecting some secret, too. Whatever this was, it gave me a funny feeling inside. Either way, I couldn't worry about it now… Not when I had another fight to catch.

"I… am… so… tired!" I moaned, slumping down in my seat at the table. My muscles ached, and I was pretty sure I would fall asleep right then and there, despite the chatter of sixty Smashers around me.

"How many fights did you have today?" Ness asked, moving the spaghetti around on his plate.

"Nothing before lunch, but I just got done with four matches, one right after the other."

Shulk grinned. "Well, at least it's better than doing dishes."

"Definitely," I agreed.

Even though Anti-Junior and I still had one more round of dishes to finish, nothing could dampen my spirits at the thought of my most recent battles. Sure, they had been some of the toughest yet, but they turned out pretty good, aside from the first one.

"I have to wonder how everyone's doing in the tournament," Shulk said. "It's strange that we don't get to know our overall scores."

Marth, who sat a few places over, spoke. "It's better not to question it. The hands take their tournaments very seriously."

"I guess." Ness pouted. "I still wanna know if I'm close to winning or not…"

"Don't we all," I said, shaking my head. "I just want to know if-Aahh!"

I shot from my seat as something ice-cold pressed against the back of my neck. Whirling around, I nearly bumped into Anti-Junior, who snickered to himself.

"Gotcha!" he cried triumphantly, setting his plate of food on the table and sitting next to me.

A shiver ran through me. "Was that ice magic?" I asked, rubbing the back of my neck.

"Courtesy of Lucas and the Ice Climbers!" Anti-Junior answered.

"Wow! I didn't even sense your energy!" I laughed.

Anti-Junior grinned. "Yep! I'm that good!" He picked up his fork and began eating.

"I'll get you back for that!" I teased.

My friend's smile widened. "Bring it on!"

"Anti-Junior." Ness looked straight at him. "Don't you think we should be able to know what our ranks in the competition are?"

"Yes!" Anti-Junior cried, slamming his cup down on the table. "I can't take not knowing!"

Marth nodded. "How do you think you faired today?"

"Ugh!" Anti-Junior gave him a 'Don't get me started' look. The group stared at him with curiosity, and I could feel a mini-rant coming on. "Wario! I had to fight Wario!"

"That's my name! Don't ware it out!" the Smasher in question called from his table.

Anti-Junior glared in his direction before turning back to us. "Don't worry. He's just upset because I placed higher than him in our match. But I never want to fight him again!" He lowered his voice further. "I couldn't get close because of the garlic! And all he did was grab! It was annoying!"

"Ugh!" The rest of the table nodded empathetically as Anti-Junior continued.

"I finally beat him by shooting him with a homing blast when Little Mac knocked him off the edge!"

"Nice!" I exclaimed as Ness, Marth, and Shulk nodded approvingly.

"Yeah!" Anti-Junior beamed, momentarily pleased. "…But then Little Mac creamed me."

This sudden news preceded a chorus of 'Aww!' from around the table.

"Little Mac can be quite the challenge," Marth agreed between sips of his drink. "He's quick."

"Not as quick as Sonic," Ness piped up.

"True," Shulk said, "but Sonic doesn't have a one-hit knock out."

We all relayed stories of our best, worst, and weirdest fights. Shulk had just told us about a fight with Corrin, Donkey Kong, and Mr. Game and Watch, when someone tapped me on the shoulder.

Samus stood there in her blue and black jumpsuit. "Hey. Come to the training room after dinner." She said, her voice low and urgent. "You, too." She nodded at Anti-Junior.

"Okay- Oh, we can't right after." I said, wondering what this was even about.

Samus looked slightly annoyed. "Then come when you can!" she hissed. and hurried away with some of the other Smashers who had finished eating.

"…Um, okay?" I said, still trying to make sense of what just happened.

As more and more Smashers left the dining room, Anti-Junior sighed and cleared his empty plate. "Of all nights, they chose tonight to have spaghetti," he grumbled.

"Just be glad this is the last time we have to do this," I said, and followed him into the kitchen.

About two hours and over sixty sets of dishes later, the Miis gave Anti-Junior and me one last send-off, saying things like 'Nice working with you!' and 'Try and stay out of trouble!'. We smiled and nodded and waved goodbye to the Miis, then hurried away to find Samus.

"We're freeee!" I exclaimed as we ran down the hall.

"I know!" Anti-Junior screamed, as if he couldn't be happier.

We slowed to a walk as we neared our destination. "It's weird that Samus wants to train now," Anti-Junior mused.

"Yeah…" I said, remembering what Link told me at the end of our match.

In the training room, Smashers bustled with activity, even at this time of night. Little Mac was delivering speedy jabs to a sandbag, his coach shouting encouragement. Wii Fit trainer led Kirby, Peach, and Mr. Game & Watch in some yoga exercises, though I wondered how the latter could perform most of them since he was only a 2-D being.

"There you are!" Samus bested Captain Falcon with a few quick punches and kicks, then speed-walked towards us. "Come on!" she ordered, and proceeded towards the exit.

"Wait. So we aren't training?" Anti-Junior asked. "What's going on?"

"I'll explain shortly." Samus led us down hallway after hallway to a lower level of the mansion. We kept walking until we came to a secluded area that seemed to be tucked away at the very back of the establishment. Samus paused at an old door, the wood chipped and the paint peeling. After a quick glance around, she opened the room and waved us inside.

The room looked like it could have once been a small library, but had been converted into someone's personal lounge. A round table stood in the middle with a few faded armchairs set in a semi-circle around it. A small TV hung from one wall. On the opposite corner was a dusty bookcase whose books looked like they hadn't been handled in a while.

"Good! You're here!" Link leaned forward in one of the armchairs, his mouth tight with concern. "Were you spotted?"

"No, Link, I know how to do my job." Samus pointed out, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Just making sure," Link said, holding up his hands, but his expression stayed firm. "We can't have too many other Smashers finding out until we know more."

"So, what is this place?" I asked.

Samus looked around the room, taking in the scenery as if it were a long-lost friend. "This room has been around since the mansion was first built, when there were only twelve of us in Smash."

"Yeah?" Anti-Junior asked.

Samus nodded. "We'd all come here after battles to rest and get to know each other. But, once the Melee and Brawl tournaments came around, the mansion was renovated to accommodate all the newcomers."

"Why didn't the hands fix this place up?" Anti-Junior asked. "Not that it's that bad, it's just…"

"The hands were so focused on construction that they didn't have enough money to maintain some of the older parts of the mansion," Samus explained. "But Master Hand couldn't bring himself to destroy this place because it's a part of Smash history. Since this room isn't used much anymore, it's a safe place to talk."

By the way she said 'talk', I knew it was serious. "About what?" I asked. Maybe I'd finally get answers as to why Link and Samus were acting so strangely. However, part of me knew I wouldn't like what I heard.

"About the villains," Link said. He picked up the remote and clicked the power button, though he had to hit it against the armchair a few times before it turned on the TV.

While Link flipped through the channels, Samus paced the length of the room. "They're definitely up to something," she muttered.

Why was Link messing with the TV? Were we going to see them on the news? Had they already done something that bad?

Anti-Junior sat down in one of the armchairs and rolled his eyes. "Tell us something we don't know."

Link, who had settled on a channel, set the remote down and faced me. "Did you ever find Pit?" he asked.

"No," I said, somewhat confused, when the image on the TV screen caught my interest. 'Battle Replays: Re-watch all your favorite brawls!"

Link fiddled with the remote some more, his brow furrowed. "I asked around and no one has seen him since our match. He wasn't at his usual spot at dinner, either-"

"Pit has his own dinner spot?" Anti-Junior cut in.

"Yeah," Link said. "It's the seat just to the right of the window. He claimed it since the Brawl tournament started. So he could get a better view of the-"

"Anyway," Samus interrupted. She stopped pacing and turned to Link. "Roy said Pit hadn't come back to their room at all," she informed.

It had only been a few minutes and my head was already spinning. "Wait. Is Pit missing?" A lump of dread formed in my stomach when those words passed my lips.

"Well, we can't be one hundred percent sure, but…" Link pressed 'Play' on one of the video clips. "There's something you should see."

Puzzled, we stared at the small screen and watched as my fight with Pit, Link, and Bowser replayed. At first, the battle played out normally. Cheers and groans suggested that this footage was filmed in the area for spectators, but he audio wasn't good enough to catch the things we said during the match.

"Nice!" Anti-Junior laughed as Pit's deflected arrow struck Bowser.

Link gazed at the screen intensely, as if searching for something.

At that moment, Bowser grabbed Pit and flipped him off the ledge.

Link paused the fight clip. "Look here." He stood and pointed to the screen. The image showed the beam of light that had claimed the angel and the Koopa once they reached the blast zone, but something was wrong.

"There's only one beam," I pointed out.

Link nodded gravely. He took a deep breath. "You'll probably think this is crazy, but I don't think Pit made it through the return portal, the one that transports fighters away once they're eliminated from a match."

"…How's that possible?" I asked. "Did… the blast zone not transport him or something?"

"It is strange," Samus agreed. "The technology has never failed before, in previous tournaments or otherwise. The hands make sure of that."

"It seems unlikely, but that would explain why Pit hasn't been seen since our match," Link said.

"…Where is he then?" Anti-Junior asked. "Could he still be on the plains somewhere?"

Pit was a good fighter, but I shuddered to think about him wandering around Gaur Plains alone. That world was unfamiliar to him. Plus, there could have been more of those metal monsters running around.

I thought about earlier in the match, and came to an unsettling conclusion. Bowser had acted strange then, too. What was it he said to me? 'You have no idea what's about to happen'?

"He knew!" I jolted up from my chair. "If Pit really is missing, the villains are behind it! I know it!"

"How can you be sure it's them?" Anti-Junior asked.

He had a fair point, but I was sure about this one… mostly. I told them what I had figured out, what Bowser said to me, and how he had acted in the transport room both before and after the fight.

Link considered this, then slowly nodded. "They must really want to win this tournament if they're pulling this kind of thing…"

"You're right…" Samus shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

"Do other Smashers know that the villains are plotting?" I asked.

Samus turned to me. "A few others know what we've told you, but it's hard to tell very many people without the villains finding out that we're on to them.

"Does Master Hand know?" Anti-Junior asked.

"Don't know," Link answered. "Again, we're not completely sure, but if Pit doesn't turn up tomorrow morning, then we'll tell Master Hand, but until we really know-"

"We can't tell the hands!" Samus interjected, fists clenched. "Not after… recent circumstances."

Now my head was spinning so fast I felt like my brain might get sick. I wanted to ask just what circumstances prevented us telling the hosts of the tournament that something was amiss, but the look in Samus's eyes said that her decision was final.

"Well," Link said, standing up. "We should probably get back before people start wondering where we are-."

Just then, three sharp knocks sounded at the door. Link winced. "Speaking of which…"

Samus strode over to the door and opened it. "Master Hand," she greeted calmly.

"Ah! I thought I heard something back here!" The hand hovered in the doorway for a moment. "What are you doing here?"

How had he known we were back here? The giant hand must have super hearing.

Samus and Link shot each other a cautious glance, then the latter spoke. "We just thought Junior and Anti-Junior would get a kick out of seeing this place," he said carefully.

"…Yes." Master Hand nodded as if he understood, and his voice sounded sincere and somewhat pleasant. "Well, it's almost curfew, and I really don't want to have to punish any of you. Especially since you two-" He pointed at Anti-Junior and me, "just finished yours."

"We were just leaving," Samus said, and we filed out of the old room, hoping not to incur the hand's wrath.

Anti-Junior and I made our way to our room in silence, but now things felt all turned around, as if a giant puzzle piece in the universe had been flipped, messing up the entire thing. Believe me. I didn't want Pit to be missing, but the more I considered Link and Samus's revelations, the more likely it seemed.

I remembered what Ike had said to me earlier that day. 'Some people would do anything to win this tournament'. Could Pit's disappearance be part of Bowser's or Dedede's twisted scheme to boost their standing in the competition? Or was it something more?

And that dark feeling on the plains. What was that about? At first, I thought it could have been Bowser's evil, but now I wasn't so sure. Whatever it was, it gave me the creeps. I couldn't believe I forgot to tell Link and Samus about that!

My friend and I entered our room and I collapsed onto my bed. After what Link and Samus told us, sleep seemed impossible, despite the exhaustion of today's fights.

"Junior?"

"Hm?" I sat up and looked at Anti-Junior, who yawned.

Whatever he was going to say, he seemed to have lost the will. "Never mind… I'll tell you tomorrow."

"Oh… Okay…" I said, too tired to argue. I sank back onto my pillows, hoping I'd at least get a little rest, and to my surprise, sleep overpowered me without much resistance.

But then I had the dream, and then I heard the scream, and realized this was the beginning of a waking nightmare.

A/N: Thanks for reading. This chapter was a little rushed, so I apologize for any mistakes. Feel free to point them out, especially with descriptions, if I got them wrong so that I can fix them. Hopefully there aren't too many...